It's quite difficult to understand the rationale behind some of the judgments delivered in our courts of law. I still feel the rich and people that are party members of the people in authority do have preferential treatments.
The law is not flat and square. It is skewed and prejudiced. I don't restrict this to the precarious jaundiced judicial system in my home country Nigeria, but the global judicial system in general: from country to country. Some are simply above the law, while for some, the law is bent to accommodate their excess and to the unfortunate ones, their hope of correct and commensurate justice is a mere dream which may only happen in heaven.
I speak against the background of what happened to a house help who was sentenced to 13 years for stealing 5000 dollars. This petty thief will spend about a fifth of her life in prison, if she is blessed to live till about 70 years or thereabout. I compared the small amount that this house help stole to the money they claimed the former minister of Petroleum in Nigeria used her privileged position to amass. We are confronted with different figures nearly on weekly basis. But let's say she cornered the country of 1 billion dollars. I didn't say *steal.* That word *steal* is not appropriate to use for politically exposed persons in Nigeria, else, only one or two persons may be innocent. The ratio of Madam minister's loot to that of the house help is something like 200,000:1.
If Mathematical justice is applied then she would spend 2,600,000 in jail. This means that if she dies in prison, her corpse should be held by the government until she has spent her term. Not realistic! The worst we would experience is the treatment the former governor of Delta State was given. Nothing worse! But if politics prevails and realignment takes place, the issue will disappear into the appendage of history and footnote of the past.
While the justice can not be perfect since humans are not, but the nobodies should also be given some respites. I think 13 years for 5,000 dollars is unbelievably too high in a country where less than 1% of politically exposed persons could claim they have not cornered the country something as small as that!
EXRADALLENUM OLUSEGUN AKINSANYA.
Comments
Post a Comment